4:53 p.m. ET: Carl Edwards tops qualifying for the first time since the 2012 Daytona 500. He started first earlier this season at Talladega based off practice times when qualifying was rained out. Tune in now to Press Pass for a live video stream of the Coors Light Pole Award winner and second-fastest Kurt Busch and third-best Kasey Kahne.

4:25 p.m. ET: Kasey Kahne, who showed speed in practice, now second on the provisional lineup with a 201.213 mph lap.

4:02 p.m. ET: Aric Almirola up to second at 200.764 mph, making it 1-2 for Ford on the provisional front row.

3:45 p.m. ET: Carl Edwards, even faster with the provisional Coors Light pole: 202.452 mph. Inching closer to Marcos Ambrose's track record of 203.241 mph, set a year ago.

3:42 p.m. ET: Matt Kenseth sets the early pace as the first qualifier of the day over the 200-mph mark: 200.566 mph.

3:13 p.m. ET: Rookie Kyle Larson lands atop the Nationwide practice leaderboard with a lap at 189.170 mph, the only driver to top 189 mph in a Nationwide car today. He's also covered more ground than any other driver in this session -- 56 laps (112 miles).

3:10 p.m. ET: We are also five minutes away from a special announcement in the Michigan media center. We'll stream the video live on Press Pass.

3:06 p.m. ET: Brian Scott just hopped back to the first spot on the Nationwide practice leaderboard with a lap of 188.689 mph. Expect some changes near the top as teams make mock qualifying runs in the last portions of the 2-hour, 15-minute session.

2:40 p.m. ET: Pulling back the curtain, here's what that last shot on SPEED's coverage of Nationwide practice of Nelson Piquet Jr.'s crew at work looked like from behind the scenes. From @NelsonPiquet:

2:08 p.m. ET: It's a long way from Gen-6. With the race being so close to the Motor City in Detroit, Carl Edwards had a chance to visit Ford headquarters and drive Henry Ford's "Sweepstakes" race winner from 1901. And no, wise-crackers: Jack Roush did not build the original engine for it.

1:02 p.m. ET: Hendrick Motorsports has issued a strongly worded response to Brad Keselowski's remarks about HMS allegedly "stealing" information and crew members from the Penske organization. In part, the statement reads:

"Brad misrepresents the facts and spends a lot of time making insinuations and accusations about other teams when he should be focused on his own program and competing at a high level. I hope he figures that out and begins representing himself and the sport with more class."

11:50 a.m. ET: Sprint Cup first practice is back under green after Tony Stewart's scrape with the Turn 2 wall. He'll be in the media center at 1:05 p.m. ET to talk about it -- you can watch it live on our Press Pass video stream.

11:45 a.m. ET: As activity picks up in the Sprint Cup garage, more tributes to Jason Leffler are on the track.

11:29 a.m. ET: Cars rolling out for the start of practice. Check the live leaderboard for all the timing and scoring from the first 90-minute session. Garage Cam has wrapped for Sprint Cup; join us at 12:40 p.m. ET for Nationwide Garage Cam.

11:20 a.m. ET: Our at-track reporters this weekend at MIS: Kenny Bruce (@KennyBruce) and Pat DeCola (@Pat_DeCola). Pat sometimes sings in a band; Kenny does not. Give them a Twitter follow for the latest from the Irish Hills of Michigan.

11:02 a.m. ET: With a half-hour to go before practice, it's time for NASCAR Garage Cam, your behind-the-scenes tour of the Michigan garage area. You never know what you'll see from our on-the-spot video crew.

10:50 a.m. ET:Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will be running a special Superman Soldier of Steel paint scheme this weekend, just sat down for this week's media availability on Press Pass. Watch his news conference streamed live here.

10:50 a.m. ET: NASCAR is often all about the flags, which control the happenings at every race. The sport has also made strides with its tributes to the troops in support of the U.S. military. So it's especially fitting that we celebrate Flag Day today.

10:35 a.m. ET: Also, it's approximately one hour until Sprint Cup cars take the track for the first practice with the new Gen-6 car. We're also prepping for Sprint Cup Garage Cam, scheduled for 11 a.m. ET. Join us at the top of the hour, won't you?

10:20 a.m. ET: Plenty of tributes this weekend for Jason Leffler, who died after a sprint car crash Wednesday night in New Jersey. The No. 5 JR Motorsports team with driver Brad Sweet carries sponsorship from Great Clips, a former backer of Leffler's efforts. Kevin Hamlin (@KevinHamlin), Sweet's spotter, unveiled the shirts the team will wear this weekend:

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